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Select committee: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Brexit: Trade in food inquiry

Closed Opened 13 Sep 2017 Closed 4 May 2018

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
Report Report: Brexit: Trade in food Report: Brexit: Trade in food (PDF) Response Special Report: Brexit: Trade in Food: Government Response to the Committee's Third Report Special Report: Brexit: Trade in Food: Government Response to the Committee's Third Report (PDF 150KB) The Committee wishes to examine how a potential trade deal could affect farmers, food processors and consumers. Neil Parish MP, Chair of the Committee, said: "The food and farming sector is a key part of the UK economy, contributing some £108 billion annually and employing around 3.9 million people. The country’s half a million farmers produce 60% of the food eaten in the UK and manage some 70% of the land area. It is vital that future trade arrangements allow farmers and food processors to compete effectively. We welcome views on the steps that the Government and agri-food sector need to take to enable farmers and processors to sell more of their produce at home and abroad. We also want to hear views on how trade policies can best allow UK consumers access to affordable, good quality food after Brexit."

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 13 September 2017.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 3rd Report - Brexit: Trade in Food on 18 February 2018.

The government's response

Published 4 May 2018.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government welcomes the report and sets out its position recommendation by recommendation, agreeing on the Agriculture Bill, on assessing the impact of any unilateral tariff policies, and on using the talents within Parliament on trade, while saying the tariff and regulatory divergence details depend on the negotiations.

  • On the Agriculture Bill, the government "agrees with the Committee" that, once the consultation has been completed and responses analysed, it should publish and introduce the Bill "as soon as possible thereafter".
  • On tariff rate quotas, it says it is "not appropriate to set out what a system of unilateral tariff decisions might look like at this stage", given its preference for a Free Trade Agreement with the EU, but agrees it is essential to "fully consider the impact on each and every part of the UK" first.
  • On regulatory divergence, it says "Mechanisms for handling regulatory divergence will be discussed as part of the negotiations on that future relationship."
  • On country of origin labelling, it says the "UK Government will take on board the Committee's views"; on e-certification for exports, it says it is developing a system and plans to develop and implement the "building blocks" in advance of exit from the EU.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Reports

All reports

Evidence

  • 5 oral evidence sessionsLatest 20 December 2017
All evidence

Recent activity

Reports

1 report

Oral evidence sessions

5 sessions

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Date Session and witnesses Source
20 Dec 2017
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗
6 Dec 2017
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗
29 Nov 2017
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗
15 Nov 2017
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗
1 Nov 2017
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded 		View ↗